Scan barcode
envy4's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing as usual from St. James. I wanted more romance though. Also someone explain to me: can cipher be used as an adjective?? And if so what’s the definition. I think it was an editing mistake.
Overall enjoyed the book. Also women don’t kill violently. So that threw me off. I got over it. But it didn’t fit the story for me. Too much Criminal Minds in my head.
Overall enjoyed the book. Also women don’t kill violently. So that threw me off. I got over it. But it didn’t fit the story for me. Too much Criminal Minds in my head.
sarahkreads's review against another edition
5.0
couldn’t put it down !
I don’t read paranormal / horror and I wouldn’t call this gore horror, I classify it as “cozy horror” but perfect for a weekend read, esp if you want to read a paranormal thriller but nothing extremely grotesque. Would be definitely reading more by this author.
I don’t read paranormal / horror and I wouldn’t call this gore horror, I classify it as “cozy horror” but perfect for a weekend read, esp if you want to read a paranormal thriller but nothing extremely grotesque. Would be definitely reading more by this author.
jerbil's review against another edition
5.0
Great supernatural thriller! Never fully expected where it was gonna go and it made for a fun read with some spooky moments.
templ100's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
justjess2031's review against another edition
4.0
What a story! Attention grabber to the very last page. I did not want to put it down.
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
“But I’ve always believed that murder is the healthiest obsession of all.”
If you’re new to Simone St. James, expect her books to be atmospheric with a gothic-feel, twisty, and vaguely supernatural. Her books are rarely full-on ghost stories, but they walk the line of the unexplained. They have many events based firmly in reality, but her stories always have a haunted feel. Are there supernatural forces at play, or have the characters found themselves haunted? It’s up to each reader to decide.
Shea Collins is receptionist in doctor’s office and she is also the writer behind a true crime website on cold cases. Shea is a loner—she has some events from her past that were traumatic and have led her to worry about her safety. She has a close friend over the internet named Michael who is a former cop and who she’s never met. This obviously had my radar up! I was super curious if Michael was who he said he was.
“Am I bitter or am I sweet? Ladies can be either.”
When Shea happens to meet Beth Greer—a local “celebrity” who was accused of murdering two men in the 1970s—she jumps at the chance to speak to her. Beth Greer is a fascinating and elusive character. The two men were both shot by Beth’s father’s gun and a witness claimed to have seen the second murder (though he had been drinking so his testimony was discounted). Many (including Michael) are convinced Beth Greer committed both murders even though she was acquitted and maintains her innocence.
As Shea gets to know Beth, the case gets more and more curious. Beth largely stays at the stately home she inherited from her parents. The house is like stepping back into the 1970s. When Beth talks about the murders and the trials, she mentions that her parents had just died and she was partying a lot to escape. This combines with her wealth and beauty made her an easy figure for people to suspect of the murders. There were rumors surrounding Beth and the trial, and it is easy to see why the public was so obsessed with her and the case.
I loved the setting in Beth’s home Greer House (in both timelines), and the flashbacks to the 1970s. The house is dark, and it’s size makes it feel particularly empty. Strange things happen there, and Beth haunts the halls like a ghost though she is very much alive. Greer House added a gothic feel to the novel that worked well and heightened the tension of the plot.
As the book goes on, the story is about more than just the two murders Beth was accused of. St. James adds many twists and turns to the story and I had many theories, most of which were wrong! The story alternates between the past and present and between the stories of Beth and Shea. At it’s core, this is a book about women—bitter and sweet. Ladies can be either, as Beth reminds us.
This book is absolutely gripping. The supernatural events are light enough that the book will appeal to most readers, even those who don’t prefer a paranormal element. Gothic, atmospheric, twisted, and dark—this is another outstanding psychological thriller from Simone St. James!
If you’re new to Simone St. James, expect her books to be atmospheric with a gothic-feel, twisty, and vaguely supernatural. Her books are rarely full-on ghost stories, but they walk the line of the unexplained. They have many events based firmly in reality, but her stories always have a haunted feel. Are there supernatural forces at play, or have the characters found themselves haunted? It’s up to each reader to decide.
Shea Collins is receptionist in doctor’s office and she is also the writer behind a true crime website on cold cases. Shea is a loner—she has some events from her past that were traumatic and have led her to worry about her safety. She has a close friend over the internet named Michael who is a former cop and who she’s never met. This obviously had my radar up! I was super curious if Michael was who he said he was.
“Am I bitter or am I sweet? Ladies can be either.”
When Shea happens to meet Beth Greer—a local “celebrity” who was accused of murdering two men in the 1970s—she jumps at the chance to speak to her. Beth Greer is a fascinating and elusive character. The two men were both shot by Beth’s father’s gun and a witness claimed to have seen the second murder (though he had been drinking so his testimony was discounted). Many (including Michael) are convinced Beth Greer committed both murders even though she was acquitted and maintains her innocence.
As Shea gets to know Beth, the case gets more and more curious. Beth largely stays at the stately home she inherited from her parents. The house is like stepping back into the 1970s. When Beth talks about the murders and the trials, she mentions that her parents had just died and she was partying a lot to escape. This combines with her wealth and beauty made her an easy figure for people to suspect of the murders. There were rumors surrounding Beth and the trial, and it is easy to see why the public was so obsessed with her and the case.
I loved the setting in Beth’s home Greer House (in both timelines), and the flashbacks to the 1970s. The house is dark, and it’s size makes it feel particularly empty. Strange things happen there, and Beth haunts the halls like a ghost though she is very much alive. Greer House added a gothic feel to the novel that worked well and heightened the tension of the plot.
As the book goes on, the story is about more than just the two murders Beth was accused of. St. James adds many twists and turns to the story and I had many theories, most of which were wrong! The story alternates between the past and present and between the stories of Beth and Shea. At it’s core, this is a book about women—bitter and sweet. Ladies can be either, as Beth reminds us.
This book is absolutely gripping. The supernatural events are light enough that the book will appeal to most readers, even those who don’t prefer a paranormal element. Gothic, atmospheric, twisted, and dark—this is another outstanding psychological thriller from Simone St. James!
questionablechilli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mandy_smithburrows's review against another edition
4.0
Setting: 3/5 stars
The Book of Cold Cases begins with a small chapter where Claire Lake is described as a small lake town where crime rarely happens apart from the odd robbery. Greer mansion where much of the book takes place is also described. St. James intended for this book to be creepy and atmospheric, and it was meant to be a primary focus as she chose to begin the story like this. Unfortunately, it fell short as none of the characters visited much of Claire Lake apart from what was already described in chapter one. St. James appeared to fall away from the setting and focus on other aspects.
Plot: 3.5/5 Stars
The Plot was fast-paced and exciting for the first half of the book. Shea was finding things out at a steady enough pace to keep me interested and excited. Unfortunately, after the main reveal in the middle of the book; it started to get repetitive as a big chunk of the second half was flashbacks on events we already knew. The last reveal was also something we (as readers) had figured out and were just waiting for the main character to catch up.
I absolutely loved the addition of the paranormal in this book, which is why I pick up Simone’s books. The ghosts just add a creepy factor to a mystery and is something I can fall back on if the mystery is losing me. Chapter seven, where the paranormal is introduced in this book is my favourite part and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t feel creeped out again like I did from that chapter.
Characters: 4/5 stars
The character development we see in Shea, especially as she overcomes her fears from her getting abducted as a child is one of my favourite parts of this book. Her anxieties, paranoia and how she acts because of that trauma was well-done in my opinion. There was a lot of showing of how it affected Shea rather than telling us and I appreciated how this contributed to the outcome of events in the book. Due to the flashbacks though; there was less Shea in the second half and I’m a bit disappointed by that.
However, Beth Greer’s development was a bit hard to follow. As a child she appeared to be warm and loving despite her circumstances; yet, as an adult she was cold and emotionless. I feel that St. James failed to show this change and I still found myself confused at the end of the novel as to how she became that person even though we were told why (might be a little of telling rather than showing here).
I was also uncomfortable by how Beth was described during the 1970s timeline as “sexy” and focused a lot on her figure. Shea even described Beth in this tone in the present day when looking at old photographs of her. I understand that St. James was making a point of how women in the media were portrayed in the seventies, especially if they were on trial for murder but she pushed the point too hard especially when she didn’t need to.
Writing Style (3/5 stars)
St. James used a mixture of first person (for present day) and third person (for flashbacks) which I really enjoyed. However, I did notice a lot of repetition where she would favor the same words (such as using the term sexy for Beth) or similar descriptions. This usually doesn’t bother me too much; however, it was prevalent enough where I did notice it.
I was also disappointed by how St. James went from chapters that were mostly in present day to chunks of flashbacks in the latter of the book. This was where the book really began to lose me, and I had to force myself to get through those flashbacks. This also messed with the pacing of the book, as I felt like St. James had mostly run out of storyline in present day, so she had to fill up the book with events we already knew about.
Overview: 3.5/5 stars
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book; especially with the speculative aspects and a great main character that I related to, and I loved seeing her evolve throughout the book. I also enjoyed the romance between Shea and Michael although this was a small portion of the book as Michael was there as a support for Shea rather than the romance being added as St. James felt it needed to be present in the story (though this could’ve been the case too!).
However, there were some glaring issues with the book, including pacing and repeating certain phrases and descriptions. I understand that this can be hard to avoid but it was enough to be noticeable with a reader who isn’t usually bothered by prose. The main thing that ruined this book for me was how the use of dual timelines (especially in the second half) were used to cover up the idea that perhaps St. James didn’t have enough material to hold up either timeline on its own and this was shown when flashbacks were telling us something that Shea had already uncovered in the present timeline.
I recommend this book for:
- Readers who are just getting into thrillers and haven’t read too many of them. If you read a lot of thrillers, I suggest you pass this one by.
- And those who love that extra speculative element as St. James doesn’t shy away from the paranormal as part of her stories. She is not one of those authors who entices us with a haunted house only to find out at the end that there was a logical explanation for everything!
- I do however recommend everyone to read Broken Girls by Simone St. James as this book is the reason I’m reading everything Simone has ever written
The Book of Cold Cases begins with a small chapter where Claire Lake is described as a small lake town where crime rarely happens apart from the odd robbery. Greer mansion where much of the book takes place is also described. St. James intended for this book to be creepy and atmospheric, and it was meant to be a primary focus as she chose to begin the story like this. Unfortunately, it fell short as none of the characters visited much of Claire Lake apart from what was already described in chapter one. St. James appeared to fall away from the setting and focus on other aspects.
Plot: 3.5/5 Stars
The Plot was fast-paced and exciting for the first half of the book. Shea was finding things out at a steady enough pace to keep me interested and excited. Unfortunately, after the main reveal in the middle of the book; it started to get repetitive as a big chunk of the second half was flashbacks on events we already knew. The last reveal was also something we (as readers) had figured out and were just waiting for the main character to catch up.
I absolutely loved the addition of the paranormal in this book, which is why I pick up Simone’s books. The ghosts just add a creepy factor to a mystery and is something I can fall back on if the mystery is losing me. Chapter seven, where the paranormal is introduced in this book is my favourite part and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t feel creeped out again like I did from that chapter.
Characters: 4/5 stars
The character development we see in Shea, especially as she overcomes her fears from her getting abducted as a child is one of my favourite parts of this book. Her anxieties, paranoia and how she acts because of that trauma was well-done in my opinion. There was a lot of showing of how it affected Shea rather than telling us and I appreciated how this contributed to the outcome of events in the book. Due to the flashbacks though; there was less Shea in the second half and I’m a bit disappointed by that.
However, Beth Greer’s development was a bit hard to follow. As a child she appeared to be warm and loving despite her circumstances; yet, as an adult she was cold and emotionless. I feel that St. James failed to show this change and I still found myself confused at the end of the novel as to how she became that person even though we were told why (might be a little of telling rather than showing here).
I was also uncomfortable by how Beth was described during the 1970s timeline as “sexy” and focused a lot on her figure. Shea even described Beth in this tone in the present day when looking at old photographs of her. I understand that St. James was making a point of how women in the media were portrayed in the seventies, especially if they were on trial for murder but she pushed the point too hard especially when she didn’t need to.
Writing Style (3/5 stars)
St. James used a mixture of first person (for present day) and third person (for flashbacks) which I really enjoyed. However, I did notice a lot of repetition where she would favor the same words (such as using the term sexy for Beth) or similar descriptions. This usually doesn’t bother me too much; however, it was prevalent enough where I did notice it.
I was also disappointed by how St. James went from chapters that were mostly in present day to chunks of flashbacks in the latter of the book. This was where the book really began to lose me, and I had to force myself to get through those flashbacks. This also messed with the pacing of the book, as I felt like St. James had mostly run out of storyline in present day, so she had to fill up the book with events we already knew about.
Overview: 3.5/5 stars
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book; especially with the speculative aspects and a great main character that I related to, and I loved seeing her evolve throughout the book. I also enjoyed the romance between Shea and Michael although this was a small portion of the book as Michael was there as a support for Shea rather than the romance being added as St. James felt it needed to be present in the story (though this could’ve been the case too!).
However, there were some glaring issues with the book, including pacing and repeating certain phrases and descriptions. I understand that this can be hard to avoid but it was enough to be noticeable with a reader who isn’t usually bothered by prose. The main thing that ruined this book for me was how the use of dual timelines (especially in the second half) were used to cover up the idea that perhaps St. James didn’t have enough material to hold up either timeline on its own and this was shown when flashbacks were telling us something that Shea had already uncovered in the present timeline.
I recommend this book for:
- Readers who are just getting into thrillers and haven’t read too many of them. If you read a lot of thrillers, I suggest you pass this one by.
- And those who love that extra speculative element as St. James doesn’t shy away from the paranormal as part of her stories. She is not one of those authors who entices us with a haunted house only to find out at the end that there was a logical explanation for everything!
- I do however recommend everyone to read Broken Girls by Simone St. James as this book is the reason I’m reading everything Simone has ever written